Screw-holder.



FRANK M. JACOBS, OF WAYNESBURG, PENNSYLVANIA;

SCREW-HOLDER.

Application filed November 15, 1907. Serial No. 402,309.

I Specification of Letters IPatent.

Patented March 23, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK M. JAcoBs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Waynesburg, in the county of Greene and State ofPennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful SCI'GWr-JEIOldiGI', of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to screwdrivers and screw-holding attachmentstherefor.

The object of the invention is to provide an article of thischaracterthat may readily be applied to or removed from the screwdriverbit or stock, that shall be thoroughly eifective in holding the screwwhile being seated or unseated, and that will protect the user frominjury as by the slipping of the bit point from the screw nick.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the natureof the. invention is better understood, the same consists in the novelconstruction and combination or" parts of a screwdriver and ascrew-holding attachment therefor, as will be hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts:Figurel is a view in side elevation, partly in section, of'ascrew-driver, exhibiting the im rovements of the present inventionapplie thereto. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the screw-driver, showingcertain.

added features that are necessary in adapting it for use in connectionwith the screwho ding attachment. Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation ofthe screw-holder and bit-guide.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of a screw-holder bracing sheath. Fig. 5'is aperspective detail view of a coiled spring that is employed in holdingthe screw-holder and bit assembled against accidental separation whennot in use. Fig. 6 is a perspective detail view of a s ring case forhousing the spring shown in Referring to the drawings, 1 designates thebit or stock of a screw-driver which is cylindrical in cross-section andis provided with a handle 2 of any preferred construction. Adj acent tothe handle there is rigidly secured to the bit a collar or stop 3, andbelow the collar, at any suitable distance, is arranged a locking pin 4,which, in this instance, is shown as an ordinary split or cotter pin.

Arranged for sliding movements upon the bit is a screw-holder 5 which isconstructed of a length of tubular metal, one end portion of which isprovided with a plurality of slits 6 that define resilient fingers 7,the terminals of which are outturned or flattened to r0- vide stops8.The end portion of the ho der opposite the stops is provided with twoopenended oppositely disposed slots 9, that are substantially of abayonet type, and are adapted to interlock with the in 4; to retain thescrew-holder upon the bit, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Arranged u on thebit is a coiled spring 10 one end whirl of which bears against the outerface of the stop 3, and the other end whirl against the locking pin 4 bywhich it is held, in position. The spring is housed by a tubular casing11 which bears against the outer face of the stop 3 and is also held inplace by the locking pin 4. The casing 11 is of an internal diameter toreceive one end of the screw-holder, as shown in Fig. 1 and when theholder is turned to theposition to bring the curved fingers or members12 formed by the slots 9 into en agement with the locking pin 41, the sring wi l prevent accidental disconnection o the bit from the holder. Toremove the bit, it will only be necessary to thrust it inward slightlyagainst the pressure of the spring 10, and then turn it until thelocking in can clear the fingers 12, whereupon the older will be free tobe slipped from the bit.

In order to reinforce the holder, there is a bracing sheath 13 rovided,one end of which is furnished w1th a plurality of longitudinal incisions14 that define resilient fingers 15 that are designed to bear againstthe similar fingers of the screw-holder. The terminals of the fingersare out-turned to provide stops 16 which, by contact with the stops 8 ofthe screw-holder, will serve to prevent accidental separation of the twoparts.

' It will be observed from an inspection of the drawings that thefingers 15 of the tubular sheath 13 cover the incisions forming thefingers 7 of the holder 5, and by this arrangement, the springing of thefingers 7 in an outward direction to such a degree as to disengage fromthe head of a comparatively small screw. will be prevented.

At the end of the sheath 13 opposite the stops 16 are two oppositelydisposed slots 17 that are designed to be engaged by laterallyprojecting pins 18 carried by the holder, the object of the slots andpins being to prevent the sheath and holder from having any rotarymovement relative toeach other It will be observed by reference to Fig.1 that the fingers of both the screw holder and the sheath are at alltimes free to expand, or, in other'words, no means is provided. thatwould interfere with such expansion, such as a collar or sleeve, as iscommonly employed to hold the fingers in engagement with the screw.

In the use of the implement, the bit is removed from the holder, and ascrew is dropped into the upper end of the latter, after which the bitis inserted and is caused to engage with the screw nick. As the screwtakes hold in the wood it will gently flex the fingers 7 and 15, butwill be held positively in place until its head passes beyond the outerend of the holder. \Vhile it will generally be preferred to supply thescrews to the holder at the larger end thereof, they may be supplied atthe smaller end, if advantageous.

It will of course be obvious that the screw holder and sheath will beadapted for use in connection with screw drivers in common use, and forthis reason it will be understood that the invention is not to belimited to a screw driver having a stop 3 nor to the employement of thespring 10, casing 11, and locking pin 4. Furthermore, the slots 9, andthe parts 12 and 18 of the screwholder and '17 of the sheath may also beomitted, as the inward flexing of the fingers 7 of the screw-holder andfingers 16 of the sheath will hold these two named parts relativelyassembled.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that this implement willbe posir tive in holding the bit in engagement with the screw-nick inthe operation of seating a screw, and further, all danger of the userinjuring himself, as from the screw-driver jum ing from the screw-niclwill be positive y prevented.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is In a screwdriver,the combination with a bit provided with a stop and with a transverseorifice, of a coiled spring mounted upon the bit and bearing at one endagainst the stop, a casing inclosing the spring and bear- F ing againstthe stop and provided with ori- 'Iices to register with that of the bit,a locking pin passing through the series of orifices and against whichthe other end of the spring bears, a tubular screw-holder fitted uponthe bit and provided at one end with normally inwardly flexed, freelyexpansible screw head engaging fingers and its other end provided withbayonet slots to interlock with the locking pin, and with laterallyprojecting pins adjacent to the slots, and a tubular sheath inclosingthe holder and having at one end normally inwardly flexed, freelyexpansible fingers to cover the spaces between those of the holder, andat its other end with longitudinal slots to engage the pins of theholder.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK M JACOBS.

Witnesses JERRY E. DEBOLT, J. WARREN J ACOBS.

